New Orleans City Council Lowers Curfew for Minors Around French Quarter

The New Orleans City Council has approved an 8 p.m. weekend curfew for 16-year-olds and those younger in the French Quarter and in the area around Frenchmen Street in the Faubourg Marigny.

The move comes as officials try to curb shootings involving minors. Mayor Mitch Landrieu says he supports the move.

"Families should know where their children are. I think that it's important to protect our children so they're not in places where they're not supposed to be anyway," Landrieu said. "But, obviously, I wouldn't support an effort like this if I didn't think that the police department had the capacity to enforce it. Now, having said that, they don't have to enforce it as much if people take responsibility for making sure people are where they're supposed to be."

The current curfew is 11 p.m. on weekends. Exceptions will be made for young people accompanied by an adult, or those coming from work. Several speakers objected, saying the curfew amounts to racial profiling. French Quarter business and residential groups support the ordinance. The council is planning to expand the curfew citywide.